Means for lubricating electric motors



No. 627,252. Patented June 20, |899.

N. A. CHRISTENSEN. A

MEANS FOB LUBBICATING ELECTRIC MOTUBS.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1899.) (no Model.) 2 sheens-shet l.

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No. 627,252. Patented June 20, i899. N. A. CHHlSTENSEN.

MEANS FOB LUBBICATING ELECTRIC MOTORS.

. (Application le'd Mar. 8, 1899.) (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Mirino STATES ATENT OFFICE.

MEANS FOR LUBRICATING ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent N o. 627,252, dated J une 20, 1899.

Application tiled March 8, 1899. Serial No. 708,212. (No model.)

To all whom t petty concern:

Be it known that I, NIELs A. CHRIsTENsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Lubricating Electric Motors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the ac-v companying drawings,forming a part thereof.

My invention relates particularly to electric motors designed to be directly connected with pumps, compressors, or other machines with which they are to be used by incased gearing running in oil. Its main objects are to prov'de for thorough and continuous lubrication of the armature-bearings and to prevent the oil therefrom or oil-vapor from the incased driving connections reaching and injuring or affecting the armature-coils.

It consists of certain novel features in the construction of the armature-bearings and lubricating devices, as hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings like letters designate the same parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a vertical section of acombined compressor and motor to which my improvements are applied, the plane of the section being indicated by the broken dotted line l l, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section cutting the machine lengthwise of the motor and crank-shafts, as indicated by the broken dotted line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig; 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3, Fig. 4, corresponding with Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, of one of the armature-bearings, showing a modification of the lubricating and sealing device; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 3.

For the purpose of illustrationl have shown my improvements as applied to an electric motor combined with a pump or compressor; but they may be applied to electric motors employed in connection with other machines with which they are connected in a like or similar way.

Referring to Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, A designates the compressor frame or case, which is formed with a chamber a to inclose and protect the working parts and driving 5o connections of the compressor and to hold oil for their lubrication; It is also formed or provided With boxes a ct', which open at their ends into said chamber.

B is a crank-shaft supported in said boxes and formed orprovided With cranks b b, with which the compressor-pistons C C are connected by pitmen D D.

E E are the compressor-cylinders, which open at one end into the chamber a and in which said pistons are adapted to work.

F is the motor-base, which is mounted upon the compressor case or frame A and forms a cover or closure for the chamber a therein. It is formed or provided on its upper side with supports and housings G G for the armaturebearings, in which the shaft H of the armature I is supported parallel with the crankshaft B, The upper halves or caps g g of said housings are made detachable to facilitate the removal of the armature and access to its bearings.

J designates the held-frame and armaturehousing, which is mounted upon the base F and is provided With the field-magnets j j.

K is the commutator of the motor, mounted on the shaft H between the armature I and housing G'. v

The crank-shaft B and armature-shaft H are extended at one end of the machine outside of the main frame or case A and are provided, respectively, with a gear L and pinion M, which mesh with each other. Said gear and pinion are inclosed and protected by acase N,

the larger part of which is attached to the end of the main frame or case A, while theuppar smaller part n is formed with or attached to the cap g of the adjacent housing, so as to bev moved therewith and afford access to the pinion M as well as to permit the removal of the armature Without disturbing the main part of the gear-case. v

The housings G and G are provided with boxes or bushings g2 and g3, which are tted and held therein and which constitute the bearings for the journals of the armatureshaft H. O O arel chambers and oil-wells formed Ain said housings around and below said bushings, and o o are rings hanging loosely over the journals of the armatureshaft in transverse slots through the upper sides of said bushings and dipping into the oil contained in said wells. Said housings G IOO and G are also formed at and around the inner endsof said bushings with chambers P and P', which communicate with said wells through openings p p. In these chambers the armature-shaft is provided with rings h and h', by which the surplus oil working through the inner ends of said bushings is thrown off from the armature-shaft by centrifugal force and is prevented from following said shaft to the commutator and to the armature-coils. vThe oil thus thrown off by said rings is cau-ght in the chambers P P and iiows therefrom through the openings p and 1o' back into the Wells O and O'. To further insure the protection of the armature-coils escape from the chamber P, the shaft His provided between the armature and housing G withy a shield or guard h2. The housing Gr is formed below the well O with a chamber Q., which has an overflow-opening q into the gear-case N. A tube or passage q', opening out of the well O at the level at which the oil is to be held therein, extends into the chamber Q below its overflow-opening q, so that the lower end of said tube or passage will be sealed by the oil contained in said chamber, thus preventing oil-vapor escaping fromy they chamber d andr gear-case N and coming into contact with and injuring or afabove the desiredv level.

The housing G is formed at its outer end around the end of the bushing gs with a chamber R', which communicates through an openingonits lower side with the oil-well O', so that thesurplus oil working outwardly through said bushing will iiow back into the Well O.

v The oil-well O is provided on one side of the housing G with a illing opening or pasand is so located as to gage the supply of oil-in said well' and prevent overiilling it.

The bushing g2 is formed inside near its outer endv with an annular groove h3, which opens on the under side into the oil-well O.

bushingy is caught in said groove and conducted back into said well. A portion of the oil'takenaup by the gear L finds its Way through the outer end of said bushing into said groove,

and the well O is partially replenished in this way, the deficiency being suppliedV through the filling-opening o. In case the well O should be supplied in this way with an eX- cessof oil the surplus will overliow through the passage@r into the chamber Q.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4.-, illustrating a modificationof the lubricating and oil-seal'- ingdevice, the lower chamber Q is omitted,

or-itmay bey made to open into the gear-case N.` Any oil-vapor that might in this case iindits wayfrom cham-herdl or gear-case'N through the passage q into the well C) would be prevented from escaping therefrom through l into the chamber P and thence to the armature may be prevented by making the opening p below the upper end of passage q, as shown. In other respects the oil chambers and passages are substantially like those shown in Figs. l and 2 in construction, ar-

frangement, and operation, serving to prevent an oversupply of oil in the well O and the escape of oil-vapor to the armature through `the adjacent bearing. from any oil or oil-vapor that might possibly I By means of the foregoingconstruction and arrangement of the armature-bearings and lubricating devices I am enabled to dis-pense j with a stuffing-box which would otherwise be necessary'between the housing Gand the ar- ;j mature to prevent the escape of oil from the gear-case and adjacent bearingl to the armai Such a stuffing-box in machinesv of this kind which are often placedl in loca itions not easily accessible is objectionable, because if it is packed sufficiently tight to i prevent leakage it is apt to bind and. cause l the armature-shaft to-run hard and tolbecome heated. ItA also requires constan tcare to-kcep iit in proper working order.

fecting thearmaturecoils. This passage also f prevents the oil from rising in the well O I claimv l. In an electric motor the combination f with an armature-bearing of a lubricating-device comprising an oil-well, means forconjveying oil from said well to said bearing, means for replenishin g said well with oil, andy `an overflow-passage leading out of said well' `above-the bottom thereof at a level above which it is desired that the oil shall not rise therein, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

sage o', which has a removable cap or plug 'i 2. In an electric motor the combination with an armature-bearing of an oil-well provided with a iilling-opening at a level above fwhich it is desired the oil shall-not rise-there in, means for conveyingfoil from said- Well-to said bearing, meansforreplenishingsaid Well Surplus oil working loutwardly through said f with oil, and an overflow-passage-leading out jof said well at a level above which itl is desired the oill shall not rise therein, substantially as and for the purposes setforth;

3. In an electric motor the combination with anl armature-bearingof a lubricating-de- :Vice comprising an .oil-well from which oil is supplied to said bearing, and acham-ber bellow said wellhavinganoverflow-opening and a passage leading out of saidwellat the level :at which the oil is to be maintained' therein and extending into said chamber below its overflow-opening, substantially asand-for the purposes setforth.

and. the passage q opens into the chamber d, f

4. In an electric motor the combination with an armature-bearing of an oil-well pro'- vided' with a filling-opening at about the level at which oil is to be held therein, means for conveying oil from said well to said bearing, a chamber below said well having an over- IOO IIO

flow-opening, and a passage leading out of said Well above its bottom and extending into said chamber below its overiiow-opening, substantially as and for the purposes setv forth. 5. In an electric motor the combination with the armature-shaftand a bearing theremitting gearing, and a bearing for said shaft between said gearing and the armature, of an oil-well below said bearing, means for oonveying oil from said well to said bearing, a chamber surrounding said shaft at the inner end of said bearing and communicating below it with said well, airing. on said shaft Within said oharnber a chamber below said well having an overflow-opening above its bottom into the gear-case, anda passage leading out of said Well above its bottom and eX- tendlng into the last mentioned chamber above its overiioW-opening, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In Witness whereof Ihereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NIELS A. OHRISTENSEN. Witnesses:

CHAs. L. Goss, .KENT I-l. FLANDERS. 

